Applying to study off-campus. Students are assisted in the application process by advisors in the Office of International Education as well as faculty advisors, and are encouraged to attend the information and application sessions held in the Office of International Education. Once a student’s plans for off-campus study have been approved, the student most likely will need to submit a second application to the appropriate university or program. The university or program will make the final decision about the student’s application.

Eligibility for off-campus study. All off-campus study must be approved by a faculty committee to make sure the student is appropriately prepared and that the off-campus study is integrated into the student’s overall academic program at Beloit College. Additionally, students may need to meet requirements designated for study at particular universities and programs, such as language proficiency, prior background in the subject area, GPA minimums, and so on.

Liberal arts breadth requirements. Students are expected to have completed the five liberal arts breadth (domain) requirements before studying off campus as juniors or seniors. Providing this information is part of the off-campus study application process. Students studying off-campus as sophomores must include a plan in their applications for how they will complete the requirements either while off campus or immediately upon returning to campus.

Liberal arts in practice requirement. Students may complete the liberal arts in practice requirement through off-campus study. Open this link to find out how.

Program options. Study abroad offers many opportunities for students to add new dimensions to their studies, develop intercultural knowledge and skills, and practice the liberal arts. Options are available for every major and minor at Beloit College. Most study abroad at Beloit College involves enrollment in universities abroad on an exchange or visiting student basis for one or two semesters through Beloit College partnerships with universities and organizations abroad, ISEP (a multilateral exchange program in which Beloit College participates), or universities affiliated with Beloit College. From time to time, Beloit College faculty members also travel abroad with students for short-term study abroad.

In some countries, differences in academic systems make university enrollment difficult, and in these cases, provider programs (that is, programs designed for American study abroad students) are recommended. Depending on students' preparation and disciplinary interests, provider programs may also be the best option. Thus, each year Beloit College permits up to 40 students to participate in study abroad provider programs.

Domestic off-campus study takes place through provider programs, with 15 slots reserved for this purpose each year.

Length and timing of off-campus study. Most off-campus study takes place for one semester in the junior year. However, some students study off-campus in the second semester of their sophomore year or as seniors and about 10% spend an entire academic year off campus. Off-campus study for more than one semester must relate directly to the student’s major at Beloit College.

Credit for off-campus study. Students pay Beloit College tuition to study off-campus. This enables them to receive Beloit College credit for the courses they take off campus as well as to apply financial aid to the cost of off-campus study

Course load. Students studying off-campus must be full-time students, registered for no fewer than the equivalent of 3 Beloit College course units. Additionally, they must meet the full-time enrollment requirements of the host institution or sponsoring program. The maximum credit a student can receive for off-campus study is 5 Beloit College course units. Students must make sure they understand the credit system used by the host institution or study abroad provider, as courses may be weighted differently than at Beloit College.

Registering for off-campus study. Students preparing to study off-campus register in advance for 3 units of credit using the appropriate SAB (study abroad) or OFFC (domestic program) course code. The number of credits will be adjusted as appropriate upon receipt of the transcript for the completed off-campus study. Exception: Students taking Cities in Transition courses are registered for these using an IDST course code.

Grades. Grades for study abroad appear on students’ transcripts but are not used to calculate the cumulative GPA. Exception: grades for courses with Beloit College course codes, such as IDST Cities in Transition courses and Department of Psychology courses taken on the Estonia/Morocco program, are calculated into the GPA. As well grades received for domestic off-campus study are calculated into the GPA.

Vacation terms and off-campus study. Students may not receive credit toward the Beloit College degree for study abroad taking place during a vacation term. They may, however, earn transfer credit for domestic off-campus study undertaken on a vacation term. Beloit College financial aid, however, will not apply. Furthermore, students should note that the maximum number of course units that can be transferred toward the Beloit College degree is 15, only 2 of which may be earned in the senior year.

Financial aid. Beloit College allows financial aid, including merit scholarships, to apply toward off-campus study. The limit on the amount of program tuition to which Beloit College financial aid can be applied is $15,231 for academic year 2013/14. There are many program options with tuition lower than the cap. As well, some program providers offer scholarships, and federal financial aid may apply to the additional costs. If a program’s tuition exceeds the cap, the student is responsible for the additional amount as well as the tuition normally paid to Beloit College. Students applying to programs with tuition near or above the cap must include a second option below the cap in their application for off-campus study. This Financial Aid benefit, however, cannot be extended to international students (see below).

Tuition remission and full-tuition scholarships. Tuition remission received at Beloit College may be used to enroll in Beloit College Programs only. However, students will be responsible for any out-of-pocket costs associated with the programs, such as payments for instructional costs, field study trip, and so on. These costs are posted annually [link to come]. World Affairs Center Scholarships can be applied only to exchange programs, with students responsible for any out-of-pocket costs. When students pay room, board and student activities fees to Beloit College to participate in exchange programs, however, they do not need to make additional payments to the host institution for these.

Tuition benefits received by a parent employer. If a student’s parent works at an educational institution that provides tuition benefits if the student enrolls in that institution, the student will be permitted to study abroad through that institution without paying tuition to Beloit College for the relevant semester. However, the student must complete the normal application process for study abroad and receive approval from the Committee on International Education. The parent’s employer is responsible for determining how the tuition benefit will apply to the cost of the study abroad.

Billing for off-campus study. Beloit College should be billed for the tuition cost of off-campus study up to the tuition cap ($15,231 in 2013/14). Students will be billed directly for any additional tuition cost and, where this is paid to a university or program provider, room, board, and fees. Exception: ACM programs, which bill Beloit College for a comprehensive fee. Beloit College in turn bills the student for tuition above the cap and other program costs.

Deposits. Students are responsible for paying deposits for non-Beloit off-campus study.

Health insurance. To make sure students have access to health care while abroad, study abroad students must have health insurance that is valid overseas and includes features such as medical evacuation and repatriation. Such insurance is generally required by third-party provider programs (ACM, CIEE, IES, SIT, etc).

Students studying abroad as visiting students or exchange students at a university will be enrolled by Beloit College in an iNext Comprehensive Plan with an additional rider for Security Evacuation. The charge for these will be added to the Beloit College bill. The iNext Comprehensive Plan includes substantial health insurance, medical evacuation and repatriation, and Security Evacuation covers evacuation necessitated by political events and/or natural disasters.

Visas. Some countries require that students acquire visas before entering the country to study abroad. Others require that students apply for residency permits in country. Students are responsible for obtaining their own visas and should familiarize themselves with any visa and residence permit requirements well in advance. Visas

Travel warnings. Study abroad in countries or regions of countries subject to U.S. State Department Travel Warnings is only permitted for Beloit College students under exceptional circumstances.